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running log
ran 3 this morning, so i'm at 5.5 for the week already, and it's only monday. today's run was lovely. i hit just the right pace for my mood and fitness level, so it felt like i could run forever. afterward, while i was still outside cooling down and stretching, the fog condensed on my eyelashes. it could feel it, cool and moist on my cheeks, whenever i blinked.
i've been doing the back exercises i got from the PT several years ago, too. they are very helpful.
to do these exercises, you lie face down on the floor, and rest your forehead on a rolled up towel or shirt--because it's detrimental to turn your head to one side or the other. you want to keep your spine straight for all of these exercises, but you also don't want to crush your nose! :-) the hand positioning is also important because it prevents you from pinching any tendons or ligaments in your shoulder joint. (i learned these exercises to relieve bursitis in my shoulders, so it was really important not to add insult to that injury...) if you do these, try to keep your legs relaxed--it helps to engage your abdominal muscles.
1. extend your arms above your head like superman, with your hands in loose fists, thumb side pointed toward the ceiling. pretend you're holding glasses of water in your hands, and you don't want to spill them. now lift your arms toward the ceiling slowly, while breathing out, just until you feel the exertion. hold for 5 seconds. focus on keeping your arms straight and close to your head--i.e. don't bend them at the elbows or let them drift outward into a "v" shape. do 8-10 reps to start, and as it becomes easier, work up to 15 or 20.
2. now extend your arms out to the side, so you're in a sort of crucifixion pose (only horizontal and face down). again, keep your hands in loose fists, thumb side toward the ceiling, hold the water glasses without spilling. as above, lift arms toward the ceiling slowly until you feel the exertion. hold for 5 seconds. focus on keeping your arms at a 90 degree angle to your torso. you should feel this in the muscles under your shoulder blades and toward your spine, possibly also in your biceps; it also stretches the pectoral muscles, so it should feel good there too. 8-10 reps, etc. this one is the most helpful for me--improves my posture and relieves the knot in my upper back.
3. now lay your arms along your sides. loose fists again, but this time your thumbs should be on the floor. you guessed it--lift your arms toward the ceiling. again, keep them straight, close and parallel to your body. you should feel this in your triceps muscles and under your shoulder blades. hold for 5, 8-10 reps, etc.
i started out doing only 1 set of 8-10, but pretty quickly worked up to 3 sets of 8-10. pretty soon i'm going to start doing 3 sets of 12.
now i'm having breakfast. yogurt with a sliced banana and a little honey, if you're curious. also grapefruit juice and coffee. i love how food tastes after a run. the only time/place it tastes better is on top of a mountain i've just spent several hours climbing.
hmm. i think i just made a belated new year's resolution: this year i will hike more. over the past 3 years, transportation has been the main issue keeping me out of the woods (that's when i sold my car--december 2003), so i guess my corollary resolution is to figure out how to get myself to the hiking places more often.
i've been doing the back exercises i got from the PT several years ago, too. they are very helpful.
to do these exercises, you lie face down on the floor, and rest your forehead on a rolled up towel or shirt--because it's detrimental to turn your head to one side or the other. you want to keep your spine straight for all of these exercises, but you also don't want to crush your nose! :-) the hand positioning is also important because it prevents you from pinching any tendons or ligaments in your shoulder joint. (i learned these exercises to relieve bursitis in my shoulders, so it was really important not to add insult to that injury...) if you do these, try to keep your legs relaxed--it helps to engage your abdominal muscles.
1. extend your arms above your head like superman, with your hands in loose fists, thumb side pointed toward the ceiling. pretend you're holding glasses of water in your hands, and you don't want to spill them. now lift your arms toward the ceiling slowly, while breathing out, just until you feel the exertion. hold for 5 seconds. focus on keeping your arms straight and close to your head--i.e. don't bend them at the elbows or let them drift outward into a "v" shape. do 8-10 reps to start, and as it becomes easier, work up to 15 or 20.
2. now extend your arms out to the side, so you're in a sort of crucifixion pose (only horizontal and face down). again, keep your hands in loose fists, thumb side toward the ceiling, hold the water glasses without spilling. as above, lift arms toward the ceiling slowly until you feel the exertion. hold for 5 seconds. focus on keeping your arms at a 90 degree angle to your torso. you should feel this in the muscles under your shoulder blades and toward your spine, possibly also in your biceps; it also stretches the pectoral muscles, so it should feel good there too. 8-10 reps, etc. this one is the most helpful for me--improves my posture and relieves the knot in my upper back.
3. now lay your arms along your sides. loose fists again, but this time your thumbs should be on the floor. you guessed it--lift your arms toward the ceiling. again, keep them straight, close and parallel to your body. you should feel this in your triceps muscles and under your shoulder blades. hold for 5, 8-10 reps, etc.
i started out doing only 1 set of 8-10, but pretty quickly worked up to 3 sets of 8-10. pretty soon i'm going to start doing 3 sets of 12.
now i'm having breakfast. yogurt with a sliced banana and a little honey, if you're curious. also grapefruit juice and coffee. i love how food tastes after a run. the only time/place it tastes better is on top of a mountain i've just spent several hours climbing.
hmm. i think i just made a belated new year's resolution: this year i will hike more. over the past 3 years, transportation has been the main issue keeping me out of the woods (that's when i sold my car--december 2003), so i guess my corollary resolution is to figure out how to get myself to the hiking places more often.